Facebook Updates Messenger App UI and Adds New Tabs

Facebook announced an update to its Messenger application, bringing a new user interface and plenty of new features that put focus on the app’s messaging skills. Messenger will start sorting conversations in tabs, instead of displaying them in a list.

Facebook added a tab called Messages, which lists all one-to-one conversations. The new tab can be accessed at the top of the home screen, but it’s not the only change that Facebook Messenger brings.

A second tab called Active will display contacts that are currently online on Messenger, as well as information on when certain contacts were last seen. The third tab is called Groups and it lists all group conversations that the user had with friends or family. Messenger Day, a feature very similar to Snapchat’s offering, gets a lot of screen space, giving the app a bloated feel.

The bottom bar has tabs for the homescreen and calls, positioned left from the camera shutter which opens the Stories section. The search too...